Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Raid On Protest Site In Hawija, Iraq Leads To Armed Retaliation

Iraqis have been demonstrating in several cities since December
2012 to protest what they see as marginalization by the central government. On
April 23, 2013, security forces raided a protest site in Hawija in Tamim
province looking for militants that attacked an army checkpoint a few days
beforehand. The operation quickly turned violent with several people killed and
wounded, and dozens arrested. Immediately, there were retaliatory attacks in surrounding
areas, and some leaders of the demonstrators started talking about taking on
the security forces, which they claimed were under the influence of Iran. This
could quickly escalate into an armed confrontation, which the activists cannot
win.

Army forces preparing for their move into Hawija, April 23,
2013 (AP)

Iraqi forces moved into the Hawija protest area looking for
armed men and weapons, when the situation quickly got out of hand. The
spokesman for the demonstrators told the press that the security forces came in at 4:30 am on April 23, 2013. The Interior Ministry claimed the protesters
were harboring insurgents and wanted men from the Baathist Naqshibandi
insurgent group. The police entered wearing riot gear, and using four water
cannon trucks. The Defense Ministry claimed they warned the activists
beforehand to move out of the camp. When people started getting arrested, shots
were fired. The police claimed they were shot at, while the protesters
blamed the security forces. Afterward, the army said that 27 people were
killed, 70 wounded, and 75 were detained. The cause of the raid was an attack
upon an army and police checkpoint outside of Hawija on April 19, where one
soldier was killed, and two were wounded. The assailants took weapons, and then
disappeared into the protest site according to the Defense Ministry. Afterward,
the security forces issued an ultimatum for the demonstrators to turn over
those who were responsible. A leader in the popular committee directing the
assemblies said that 114 people were arrested in the wake of the assault. The
police and army then blockaded the protest area not allowing food, supplies, or
medicines in. There were several meetings with local officials and
parliamentarians to try to resolve the issue, but nothing came of them. In
the meantime, the Tigris Operation Command, which has jurisdiction over Tamim,
moved in three emergency police regiments, two rapid reaction police regiments,
and a police brigade from Salahaddin and Diyala into the area. That all led
up to the deadly clash. Iraq’s security forces have not dealt with protests
well in the past. In 2012, there were several shootings and beatings of
protesters with the police having a bad habit of firing live ammunition into crowds.
Hawija was another example of this heavy-handed approach, which would obviously
lead to a violent reaction. At the same time, some of the organizers of the
movement in the city are connected to the insurgency. For example, one leader
with a militant past has named his movement Jaish Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshibandi. Naqshibandi
happens to be the main Baathist militant group in Iraq. The only reason to name
an organization that is to either show sympathy with the former regime or being
part of the movement. That means they very well could have been responsible for
the attack upon the checkpoint, and might have started firing upon the police
as they moved into the camp. Either way, it was a confrontation between two
entities that were looking for a fight.

The political response to the raid was immediate. The Hawija
protest movement called for the withdrawal of the security forces from the
area, and for checkpoints in the town to be turned over to the local police. The spokesman went on to make a call for people to rise up against the
Safavid government, and blaming the United States for the country’s problems,
because it turned Iraq over to Iran. Safavids are a common term used by Sunnis
to claim that Shiite politicians are under Tehran’s control. Some religious
leaders in the city issued a statement that fighting the army was legal and a religious duty. In Anbar, Sheikh Ali Hatem Sulaiman gave a speech saying
that he would not be happy until the government was removed from office, and
warning of future retaliation. Over in Ninewa’s Mosul, a demonstration
spokesman said that they had given up on peaceful measures, and that armed
struggle would be next. As for Iraq’s politicians, Iyad Allawi, Moqtada
al-Sadr, and President of Kurdistan Massoud Barzani were all critical of
the government’s actions. Speaker Osama Nujafi prophetically warned, “If this
bloodshed spreads to other provinces, God forbid, there will be a huge fire
that we cannot put out.” Finally, Education Minister Mohammed Tamim and Science
and Technology Minister Abdul al-Karim al-Samarraie, both of the now
disintegrated Iraqi National Movement, issued their resignations to protest the
Hawija incident. Tamim is actually from Hawija, so he obviously had to make a
strong statement. Maliki however, rejected his leaving office. Many Iraqi
politicians opposed to the prime minister or hoping to make cheap political
points against him have made comments in support of the demonstrations. Some
like Speaker Nujafi have actually tried to take a direct hand in organizing them. The condemnations by Iraq’s political class then was expected. The
comments by some protest movements were more alarming. Several warned that
there might be attacks upon the security forces, which could quickly turn into
direct fighting. Insurgent groups like the Naqshibandi and Al Qaeda in Iraq
have attempted to move the protest movement in this direction, but with little
affect so far. Hawija could give them the rallying point they need. Many
demonstrators are becoming more and more militant and sectarian with their
constant reference to Iranian control of Baghdad. Their moving away from talks
with Maliki has also meant they have hemmed themselves into a corner where they
cannot achieve anything. Turning to violence then, may be their last option,
which would be a losing one since they don’t have the numbers or equipment to
defeat the government, which was proven in the civil war.

Army vehicle set ablaze after being attacked by protesters
in Ramadi (AP)

Despite that, the use of force was one of the first
reactions to Hawija. Protesters in Ramadi, Anbar killed six soldiers, and took
seven prisoners. At least two government vehicles were also set ablaze. There were attacks upon army checkpoints in al-Rashad and al-Riyadh in Tamim
leaving thirteen dead. Clashes were reported in Fallujah, and a sniper there
killed a policeman leading to a curfew. East of Tikrit in Salahaddin, nine
police were killed, and five wounded in an attack upon checkpoints outside of
the city involving heavy fighting with machine guns and mortars. The road
between Tikrit and Kirkuk was shut down as a result. Some of this appeared to
be directly related to protest groups such as in Ramadi. Others could have
simply been insurgents taking advantage of the situation. Either way it was a
troubling series of events highlighting how easily this situation could get out
of hand, and spread far beyond Hawija and Tamim governorate.

Protesters in Falllujah flying Al Qaeda in Iraq flags. Could
this be the direction of some demonstrators?

Iraq’s latest protest movement originally began over
feelings of persecution by Prime Minister Maliki, but they quickly hit a dead
end, and have become more militant since then. Some elements refuse talks with
the authorities, while others have become closer to the insurgency. For
example, people have been pictured flying Al Qaeda in Iraq banners, while
attacks upon Baghdad as being puppets of Iran or actual Persians in disguise
have become the norm. The incident in Hawija showed how much things have
deteriorated. A checkpoint was attacked and blamed on the demonstrators. Talks
over the matter went nowhere, and the police quickly moved in. That played into
the image the activists had of the security forces, and with some of the
leaders of the movement in the town being insurgents, a shootout was the
result. Now the question is whether this match that has been lit can be
extinguished by cooler heads amongst Iraq’s political elite or whether things will
spiral out of control. Increased violence could erupt in Tamim, Anbar, Ninewa,
and Salahaddin, which would lead to a crackdown upon all the protest movements.
That would in turn only make militancy a move viable alternative in a vicious
cycle. The demonstrators cannot win this situation, but not being able to
achieve anything more with their peaceful protests may force their hand.

IRAQ HISTORY TIMELINE

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About Me

Musings On Iraq was started in 2008 to explain the political, economic, security and cultural situation in Iraq via original articles and interviews. If you wish to contact me personally my email is: motown67@aol.com